Behold Mr and Mrs Boffin， beaming！ Behold Mrs Boffin clapping her hands in an ecstacy， running to Bella with tears of joy pouring down her comely face， and folding her to her breast， with the words： 'My deary deary， deary girl， that Noddy and me saw married and couldn't wish joy to， or so much as speak to！ My deary， deary， deary， wife of John and mother of his little child！ My loving loving， bright bright， Pretty Pretty！ Welcome to your house and home， my deary！'
第一章Chapter 13 SHOWING HOW THE GOLDEN DUSTMAN HELPED TO SCATTER DUSTIn all the first bewilderment of her wonder， the most bewilderingly wonderful thing to Bella was the shining countenance of Mr Boffin. That his wife should be joyous， open-hearted， and genial， or that her face should express every quality that was large and trusting， and no quality that was little or mean， was accordant with Bella's experience. But， that he， with a perfectly beneficent air and a plump rosy face， should be standing there， looking at her and John， like some jovial good spirit， was marvellous. For， how had he looked when she last saw him in that very room (it was the room in which she had given him that piece of her mind at parting)， and what had become of all those crooked lines of suspicion， avarice， and distrust， that twisted his visage then？
Mrs Boffin seated Bella on the large ottoman， and seated herself beside her， and John her husband seated himself on the other side of her， and Mr Boffin stood beaming at every one and everything he could see， with surpassing jollity and enjoyment. Mrs Boffin was then taken with a laughing fit of clapping her hands， and clapping her knees， and rocking herself to and fro， and then with another laughing fit of embracing Bella， and rocking her to and fro--both fits， of considerable duration.
'Old lady， old lady，' said Mr Boffin， at length； 'if you don't begin somebody else must.'
'I'm a going to begin， Noddy， my dear，' returned Mrs Boffin. 'Only it isn't easy for a person to know where to begin， when a person is in this state of delight and happiness. Bella， my dear. Tell me， who's this？'
'Who is this？' repeated Bella. 'My husband.'
'Ah！ But tell me his name， deary！' cried Mrs Boffin.
'Rokesmith.'
'No， it ain't！' cried Mrs Boffin， clapping her hands， and shaking her head. 'Not a bit of it.'
'Handford then，' suggested Bella.
'No， it ain't！' cried Mrs Boffin， again clapping her hands and shaking her head. 'Not a bit of it.'
'At least， his name is John， I suppose？' said Bella.
'Ah！ I should think so， deary！' cried Mrs Boffin. 'I should hope so！
Many and many is the time I have called him by his name of John.
But what's his other name， his true other name？ Give a guess， my pretty！'
'I can't guess，' said Bella， turning her pale face from one to another.
'I could，' cried Mrs Boffin， 'and what's more， I did！ I found him out， all in a flash as I may say， one night. Didn't I， Noddy？'
'Ay！ That the old lady did！' said Mr Boffin， with stout pride in the circumstance.
'Harkee to me， deary，' pursued Mrs Boffin， taking Bella's hands between her own， and gently beating on them from time to time. 'It was after a particular night when John had been disappointed--as he thought--in his affections. It was after a night when John had made an offer to a certain young lady， and the certain young lady had refused it. It was after a particular night， when he felt himself cast-away-like， and had made up his mind to go seek his fortune.
It was the very next night. My Noddy wanted a paper out of his Secretary's room， and I says to Noddy， "I am going by the door， and I'll ask him for it." I tapped at his door， and he didn't hear me.
I looked in， and saw him a sitting lonely by his fire， brooding over it. He chanced to look up with a pleased kind of smile in my company when he saw me， and then in a single moment every grain of the gunpowder that had been lying sprinkled thick about him ever since I first set eyes upon him as a man at the Bower， took fire！ Too many a time had I seen him sitting lonely， when he was a poor child， to be pitied， heart and hand！ Too many a time had I seen him in need of being brightened up with a comforting word！ Too many and too many a time to be mistaken， when that glimpse of him come at last！ No， no！ I just makes out to cry， "Iknow you now！ You're John！" And he catches me as I drops.--So what，' says Mrs Boffin， breaking off in the rush of her speech to smile most radiantly， 'might you think by this time that your husband's name was， dear？'
'Not，' returned Bella， with quivering lips； 'not Harmon？ That's not possible？'
'Don't tremble. Why not possible， deary， when so many things are possible？' demanded Mrs Boffin， in a soothing tone.
'He was killed，' gasped Bella.
'Thought to be，' said Mrs Boffin. 'But if ever John Harmon drew the breath of life on earth， that is certainly John Harmon's arm round your waist now， my pretty. If ever John Harmon had a wife on earth， that wife is certainly you. If ever John Harmon and his wife had a child on earth， that child is certainly this.'
By a master-stroke of secret arrangement， the inexhaustible baby here appeared at the door， suspended in mid-air by invisible agency. Mrs Boffin， plunging at it， brought it to Bella's lap， where both Mrs and Mr Boffin (as the saying is) 'took it out of' the Inexhaustible in a shower of caresses. It was only this timely appearance that kept Bella from swooning. This， and her husband's earnestness in explaining further to her how it had come to pass that he had been supposed to be slain， and had even been suspected of his own murder； also， how he had put a pious fraud upon her which had preyed upon his mind， as the time for its disclosure approached， lest she might not make full allowance for the object with which it had originated， and in which it had fully developed.
'But bless ye， my beauty！' cried Mrs Boflin， taking him up short at this point， with another hearty clap of her hands. 'It wasn't John only that was in it. We was all of us in it.'
'I don't，' said Bella， looking vacantly from one to another， 'yet understand--'
